I currently have the Ideon Absolute epsilon. To say it is exquisite is to fall short of its level of performance. It is my preference out of my 3 best DACs out there (one I can't afford anyway😀)
Some time ago I had to downsize and sold most of my rig incl. my MSB Select II, and settled for an Ayazi at the recommendation of a consultant I had at the time (hadn't heard of them until then). I mention this to say that I ended up not missing my beloved Select II; my little Ayazi performed way beyond any expectations I had, better than it had any right to! Transparency is top notch and bass is well articulated and strong, no problem playing complex music (classical).
It must be one of the best deals out there, based on my experience at home and recently at the Munich hi-end. Keep it on all the time, it takes about 24 hrs to reach optimum operation and add two little 3R reclockers and you won’t believe the result!
Ion: I had the Ion + pre version at home recently (just to compare with my own). I currently use a TVC into Symphonic Line Kraft. To make a long story short, the sonic result of the Ion in pre + dac guise was excellent, not very far from the Epsilon + TVC. BTW, it’s also built like a tank -- a heavy tank and likes to sit on its own feet or stillpoints.
Between the two, the Ion is far superior -- except that you'd expect that at 3x the price. Regardless, at least you'd be getting a SOTA piece, you won't worry about pre's and DACs for a while!
Generally speaking I find that with Ideon, what you pay for is what you get -- except for the top gear which is seriously better than their price point would suggest.
Michael Vamos, the US importer, is very friendly and helpful